Shipping-box.



E. WALKER.

SHIPPING BOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15,1911.

Patented Dec.1o,'-1 912.

LL. WALKER. y

,SHIPPING Box. A'PLIOATION FILED MAB..15, 1911. f

v lPatented Dea-10, 1912.

, r.; si,

ENOS L. WALKER, O S'. LOUIS; MISSQUBI.

SHIPPING-BOX.

terasse.

specifwation of Lettersratenz.

Application led March 15, S911. Serial No. 614,541. I

To all whom 'it may concer/n."

Be it known that I, ENOS L. WALKER, a

citizen of the United States of America, and resident of the city of St. Louis7 Missouri,

yhave invented a certain new and useful Imlo ties in general, but more particularly to boxes of this kind which are adapted'to be knocked down and shipped in a flat -or spread out condition.

Generally stated, the object of my inven- .ition'is'to provide an improved and highly efficient shipping box of this general character.

Special objects' are to provide. an im proved construction and arrangement which will tend to insure greater strength for the box; to provide an improved construction and arrangement which will permit the use 'of sheet material for the outside of the box which will not split or break easily; to provide an improved construction and arrangement whereby the corners of the box Iwhere the blank is folded are provided with flexibleA connections that serve as hinges between the different sections of the blank, and that serve to give the box practically the strength and effect of a metal bound box; to provide an improved construction and arrangement whereby a foldable box blank of double thickness, having air space between the two ithicknesses, may be easily and cheaply made; and to provide certain details and features of improvement tending` to increase the general efficiency of a box or receptacle of this particular character.

0| To the foregoing and other useful endsJ my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In-the accompanying drawings-Figure j section at, which latter serves as a flap for the cover.

l is a perspective of a knock-down box embodying the principles of my invention,

showing the cover thereof in open position. Fig. 2 is a perspective of a portion of the blank from which the top and bottom and sides "of the said box are made. Fig. 3 is a 550 transverse section of the said box, on a serve as flexible hinges between the said;

parts. .Fig 5 1s a horizontal section on line larger scale, showing the cover closed. Fig. 4: is an enlarged fragmentary'section of the adjoining portions of the box and cover of the box, showing the broad staples which vedge of the cover.

i. 5'*5 in Fig. 3, showing one end of the box; an, intermediate portion thereof. broken.

away for convenience of illustration.

As t-hus 1llustrated my invention comprises a foldable blank A com osed' of a1 Patentes nec; se, rasa;

cover sections, vaback section a, a bottom section a2, a front section as, and afiap or short section at, which is secured to the vfree ilhe said blank is composed of an outer integral sheet of heavy pasteboard or pulp board a5, or other suitable lsheet material ofva non-splitting or non-breakable character, having transverse score lines a6, a?, is and a9, which score lilies permit the sheet of material to be readily folded at the desired points in the length thereof. The said foldable sheet' of material is reinforced at its side edges by cleats al, which latter are mitered or otherwise suitably formed at their ends and provided longitudinally on their faces or exposed surfaces with grooves or channels a, the said grooves or channels being so formed as to extend through the wood ofthe cleatsfor something over one half the thickness thereof. Intermediate of these grooved or channeled cleats the said sheet material is reinforced by narrow or single cleats a, which latter also have their ends mitered or suitably formed to permit the blank 'to be folded in the desired manner. 'Upon the faces or inner surfaces of these cleats separate sheets` orv strips of material am are secured, the end edges of these separate sheets of material being arranged to slightly overlap or overhang tie channel a, and each f sheet of materialy als being somewhat less in width than thewidth of ythe outer section of sheet materia' to' which it is allotted, I whereby the edges of the sheets or strips Va13 are brought together when the blank is foldfed into the form of a box.

No reinforcing cleats are provided for the The different sections of the outer sheet ofv material a5 are first flexibl connected an lat the same time preliminarily secured to the-cleats am and al, by the broad fiat 'staples al* which. are inserted through the said sheet material and into the cleats al", in two closely arranged parallel rows, and

by the smaller staples L1-5 which are inserted in a single row through the said material and clenched on the inner surface thereof, thus providing the lback or outer surface of. the

staples, such as those at (L17,

blank with two outside or double rows, and with an inside or single row of broad Hat staples which are adapted to serve as flexible connections or hinges between the different sections of the blank. After this, the blank thus partially formed is completed byrunningl it through a stapling machine along with the cleats and sheets or strips als, in a y suitable manner, whereby the long Wire taples al .are driven through the sheet nat/erialandcleats (11, and through the sheets for/strips (213, the ends of these staples then being clenched in a manner to cause them to turn around and pass back through the sheet material (L13 and into thewood of the said cleats.' See Fig. 3. Some .of these are driven in such manner that they extend crosswise of terial and then into the said cleats.

the end edges or leg .portions of the fiat staples (im, whereby the latter are firmly securedin place at their ends. These staples a are also driven entirely through the blank, so that their points or ends are turned back and caused to pass through the inaterial (L13 and into the Wood ofthe cleats.

' Thus there is a double row of wire staples for each double row of broad flat sheet metal staples at the sides or outer edges of the blank. At the center the single row of staples (L15 is inserted in a similar manner,

4tain cases.

The end walls B are each composed of av single sheet of material having cleats b secured to the lends thereof by staples .7)2 inserted firstv throughv `the said sheet ma- The combined thickness of these cleats and. the sheet material of the end walls is just enough to enable the end Walls to fit the channels all in the cleats of the front and `back walls of the box, when the blank is folded in the manner shown. When the end walls B are thus inserted, the cleats b thereof are held in place by the overlappingr edges of the sheet material (im of' the said front and backwalls of the box,- thus serving to lock the box in condition for use. In other words, it will be seen that the entrance to 4each groove or channel fr is restricted or reduced by' the overhanging end'edges ofthe sheets or strips (L1-3, so that these end edges engage the inner surfaces of the sheets of material b when the said end walls are in place.

It follows, therefore, that the said end walls are necessarily inserted downwarfl, as the cleats 7) must enter the groovesorl channels a. endwise. The klower edges of the-en walls B rest in grooves or channels in the ,cleats on the bottoni of the box. When the .box is closed, the upper edges of the end Walls B enter the grooves or channels in the cleats of the cover of the box. To securely close the box, the flap a* is, when the cover is4 closed, preferably'nailed or otherwiser suitably fastened to the cleats ofthe front wall of the box.

The cleats and the other portions of the box are, with the single exception of the outer 'sheet (1,5 of the blank, preferably made of wood. In this way thin veneer' can be used for the inside walls of the box, and for the end walls thereof, whereas pasteboard or pulp board or other similar fibrous material can be used for the outer walls ofthe box. Iulp board or other similar fibrous material is, of course, of a non-splitting character, and being very tough and strong insures the provision of a box of practically maximum strength and lightness. It can be `used for shippingvarious commodities and will last a long time, as it willv stand considerable rough handling and hard usage. Its outer wall can be waterprofed in any suitable manner, as by using a waterproof pasteboardor pulp board. This still further increases bility of the box.

Thin veneer in the forni of superimposed sheets fastened together with the'grain of the efficiency1 and desiraone sheet running crosswise of the .grain of another sheet makes a good nonsplitting material for the outside of the box. The grain of the veneer of the inner walls'offthe box must, of course, run lengthwise thereof and 'crosswise of the cleats.

What I claim as my invention is :l

1. In 'a box,'a foldable blank composed of hollow sections having grooved reinforcing cleats and external flexible connections for said sections, and end walls for the box when the blank is folded, which end walls removably engage the grooves in the cleats, the edges of the end walls being separated from the sides of the box by a thin wall at the bottom of each groove, which thin wall is covered and reinforced by the outer wall of the blank, and means at each side ofsaid the portion that serves as the bottom ofthe groove is relatively thin and unattached, and serves only to insure a groove of correct Width and facilitate the making of the blank, and said blank havinginner Walls secured to said cleats and overhanging said grooves to hold'the end Walls in place.y

, V3. In a box, a foldable blank having reinforcing cleats and flexible connections for theA sections thereof, end Walls for the box whenv the blank is4 folded, said connections consist-ing of fiat sheet metal staples inserted in the blank'to form corner stays for the box, and Wire staples inserted -through the ends of said flat staples and into the said cleats, whereby each corner stay is doubly secured in place at each end.

In a box, a foldabley blank having reinforcing cleats and flexible connections for the sections thereof, end Walls. for the boxl When the blank is folded, said blank having Y an outerrwall of fibrous but non-splitting sheet 'material such as paper or pulp board, extending in one continuous sheet to provide closed corners for the box, which corners also serve yas strong hinges, and inner Walls of sultable sheet material, such as veneer, which Walls are secured to andl spaced apart by said cleats, the inner Walls being of less area than the outer *Walls 5. In a box, a foldable blank having reinforcing cleats and fiexible connections for the sections thereof, end Walls for the box when the blank-is folded, said blank Consisting of outer and inner Walls spaced apart by said cleats and secured thereto by outer staples inserted through the outer Wall and cleats, and through the inner Wall, the points of said'staples being turned 4outward andv then backward through the inner Wall and into said cleats, whereby each point becomes an inner staple, there being two inner staples integral With each outer-staple.

6. In a box, a foldable blank having re- 'inforcing cleats andfiexible connections for thesections thereof, end Walls for the box when the blank is folded, said end Walls having cleats secured to the edge portions thereof, and said cleats on the blank having 1ongitudi'nal grooves that secure said cleats on the end Walls, each cleat of the blank being secured thereto by a double row of staples, one row at` each side of the said groove, whereby' the bottom of each groove is formed by a relatively vthin portion of sufficient thickness to 'preserve the cleat as a unit, and insure a groove of correct Width(` but o'i` inadequate thickness to receive said staples.

7 In a box, a foldable blank having reinforcing cleats and fiexibleconnections for the sections thereof, end Walls for the box when the blank is folded, said cleats'having longitudinal grooves for the edgesfof the end Walls, and said connections consisting of flat sheet metal staples inserted in rows, one row at each side of said grooves, which staples form external corner staysv and to the blank, and does not needv to be thick enough to receive fastening means.

8. In a box, a foldable blank having reinforcing cleats and flexible connections for the sections thereof, end Walls for the box When the blank is folded, said connections consisting of Hat staples spanning the corners of the box and inserted through the outer wall of the blank and clenched on the inner surface thereof against the said cleats, and'means for securing the clenched ends of said staples upon and. to the said cleats, which staples form external corner stays and hinges for the box.

Signed by me at `Chicago, Illinois, this 13th day of March1 1911.

EN OS L. WALKER.

Witnesses:

R; KEARNS, I. NoRBY. 

